Last March Tom Seeley spoke at the saba seminar(Albany,NY) on an unpuplished study he was working on re: drifting.(Aaron,correct me if I'm wrong here)
Two yards in same area.One,hives in a row.The other, hives dispersed in alleys created by bush hogging an overgrown field.
"With respect to bee drift, I found that in the crowded colonies, only 52-58% of the bees entering a hive were bees reared in the hive, hence there was tremendous drifting of bees between the crowded hives. In contrast, I found that in the dispersed colonies, 99-100% of the bees entering a hive were bees reared in the hive, hence there was negligible drifting of bees between the dispersed hives. With respect to Varroa dynamics, I found that in the group of crowded colonies, colonies that had relatively few mites all summer long suddenly showed surges in their mite populations in late summer when nearby a colony (or colonies) collapsed from a population explosion of mites in it (them). But in the dispersed colonies, I found that colonies that had relatively few mites all summer long DID NOT suddenly show surges in their mite populations in late summer when a nearby colony colllapsed from a population explosion of mites in it. With respect to colony mortality, I found that 0 out of 12 colonies in the crowded group were alive after 2 years, but that 5 out of 12 colonies in the dispersed group were still alive after 2 years (a highly signficant difference: P = 0.035). (Note: none of the colonies were treated with pesticides to control the mites.) The results of this project reveal that crowding colonies in apiaries, which makes beekeeping practical, is not altogether beneficial for the bees, because it increases the risk of acquiring infections of pathogens and parasites from neighboring colonies. Small-scale beekeepers and hobbyists will benefit greatly from arranging their hives in a dispersed rather than a crowded layout. "
From here:
https://portal.nifa.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/0223284-sustainable-solutions-to-problems-affecting-bee-health.html
Sent from my NOOK
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